China's Ministry of State Security on Friday rejected Australian espionage allegations, calling them "groundless" and asserting that, on the contrary, it was Australian intelligence services that carried out covert operations on Chinese soil.

The statement, posted on the ministry's official WeChat account, responded to recent remarks by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director Mike Burgess, who warned in a July 31 speech that China is among the top three countries spying on his nation.

At the time, Burgess stated that 24 "foreign espionage and interference" operations had been thwarted in the past three years. "Nation states are spying at unprecedented levels, with unprecedented sophistication," he asserted, adding that "ASIO is seeing more and more Australians targe

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